I can't really say I'm surprised. I'm sure he'll still get plenty of votes though. I hope this becomes part of the discussion in that election.posted by rhyax at 10:29 AM on October 6, 2002

I noticed that there's been a few cases of politicians getting caught with their pants down by reporters these days. What I find really funny is how, left or right, Democrat and Republican, the first thing they always seem to say is "They didn't know a reporter was in the room." Yeah. Well that makes everything better then.posted by XQUZYPHYR at 10:36 AM on October 6, 2002

Trout, no offense man, but it's no big deal. It's not that he drunkenly confessed how the 2000 vote was actually rigged
He explained matter-of-factly how he's going to deal with (or derail, OK) an education bill of no importance for non-Floridians -- politicians derail stuff they don't like all the time
And, he cracked a very lame lesbian joke (with no profanity, unlike Bob Kerrey's infamous "lick Bush" joke)

No impeachable offense hereposted by matteo at 10:39 AM on October 6, 2002

No impeachable offense here

That's never stopped anyone before. (I'm just keeeeeeeeeeeding!)posted by XQUZYPHYR at 10:59 AM on October 6, 2002

Has anyone here met Jeb Bush? Hung out with him? Me neither, so I can't pretend to know what his private sense of humor is, or what his tone of voice is when he jokes, or any number of other things that would affect my understanding of these off the record comments.

"And I think for anybody to believe that any governor, or any member of the Legislature, or any individual member of the public at large speaks in exactly the same way in one room as they do in another, I think, is naive," Brogan said.

Knock him for his public record, not for private comments taken out of context.posted by Ayn Marx at 11:05 AM on October 6, 2002

I don't know what the big deal IS is.posted by HTuttle at 11:17 AM on October 6, 2002

If George W. Bush had said "I'm going to invade Iraq regardless of what international law says" back in 1999, Gore would have beaten him by an even wider margin.

If Jeb Bush had brought these plans up in his televised debate, he'd see his lead disappear on the spot. Voters want to know what their leaders have in store so they can vote accordingly. Doesn't that sound reasonable?

He explained matter-of-factly how he's going to ... derail ... an education bill (emphasis added)
It's not an "education bill," Matteo -- it's a constitutional amendment on the November ballot. The voters of Florida (including me) will decide this. It's not a bill before the legislature. The governor can't veto a constitutional amendment approved by the voters.
Publicly, Bush has opposed this proposed amendment, urging voters to reject it. That's fine. But Bush is saying privately that it doesn't matter what the voters of Florida say. He plans to thwart the majority vote if the balloting doesn't go his way. If the voters (not the legislators!) adopt a constitutional amendment and Bush refuses to enforce it, he is violating his oath of office.

of no importance for non-Floridians
It is of importance to us Floridians.

No impeachable offense here
No one said it was. It is, however, a good reason to vote for McBride, who doesn't have a history of lying and of thwarting the will of the voters.posted by Holden at 6:17 AM on October 7, 2002

I suspect that most people didn't need another reason to not vote for the guy. Admittedly, it's very fun to see the guy squirm, though. Do you think the evidence is so damning that many many people will chance their mind about him?posted by crunchland at 6:37 AM on October 7, 2002

How cunning is Jeb's plan? Could he put a tail on it and call it a weasel?

The comment itself looks fairly innocuous as politics--and Florida politics especially--goes: one good ol' boy boasting to more good ol' boys about his cunning plans. No biggie.

But the real issue here is Bush's reluctance to admit he's opposed to smaller school classes, while working against at the same time. Classic Bush strategery. I'm certain the Bush campaign (any Bush campaign) would call any opponent who tried this a "flip flopper" or a "weasel" or whatever and Jeb deserves to be called on it as well.posted by octobersurprise at 6:56 AM on October 7, 2002

Monty Burns is Florida's Governor?posted by password at 7:06 AM on October 7, 2002

The really intriguing thing about this is that if you listen carefully to the audiotape, Bush actually says, "Bet you don't get that in Pensacola, Sylvia."

(Look for the "Audio: Strategy talk" link about halfway down the page.)posted by Holden at 10:04 AM on October 7, 2002

Just for the record: I haven't listened to the audio. My comment was just a little joke. Yes, I know, a very little joke.posted by soyjoy at 10:14 AM on October 7, 2002

Good one, soyjoy, too -- but you should have made the link available for those who missed the earlier story.

With Bush leading in the single digits (and, it's claimed, gaining), this may be worth a percentage point at most -- but it's most likely to resonate only with a core constituency already pledged to McBride, so I wouldn't expect anything more. Jeb's voters probably feel it's their will that's being bypassed or abrogated, after all; and there's nothing to indicate that the means that his office would follow would be illegal. It's long been a legal principle, among other things, that the executive can exercise its discretion on enforcing laws and mandates. A constitutional amendment doesn't have a police force. There are probably certain judicial challenges they have in mind, as well. If this weren't four weeks before the election ... it would be business as usual.posted by dhartung at 10:33 AM on October 7, 2002

I like this comment:McBride, beleaguered from media criticism for a flat debate performance last week, seized Bush's statements like a coyote on red meat.
While it may be true that Mr. McBride is beleaguered, etc., I find this statement to be oddly hyperbolic, Sylvia.posted by hoborg at 1:27 PM on October 9, 2002

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